Kerala: Over 20000 people lost Rs 201 crore in online frauds in 2023, says police
Kerala Police have highlighted the threat that online financial scams represent, stating that in the last year alone, 23,753 persons in the state lost a total of over Rs 201 crore.
FollowThiruvananthapuram: Kerala Police have highlighted the threat that online financial scams represent, stating that in the last year alone, 23,753 persons in the state lost a total of over Rs 201 crore. According to the police, its Cyber Wing was able to retrieve twenty percent of this sum and blocked 945 websites, 3,289 mobile phones, 5,107 bank accounts, and 239 social media accounts that were utilised in the crimes. The State Police Media Centre released a statement in which the police asked the public to report online financial crimes to the 1930 number within two hours of the incident. It stated that doing this would raise the likelihood of the scam victim getting their money back.
"Delay in making complaints is a major problem faced by Kerala Police. If the information is reported to the cyber helpline number 1930 within two hours of the loss of money, the chances of recovering the money are very high.
"But often the police receive complaints after 10 days of depositing the money. This gives the fraudsters enough time to withdraw the amount," it said.
Police provided details about the fraudsters' method of operation, stating that well-known social media platforms are the starting point for these schemes that entice investors with the promise of huge payouts.
"The scammers make people who contact them through social media join their Telegram group. They then ask for deposits through a fake website.
"Initially, exorbitant profits are given to those who deposit a small amount so that they have more faith in the fraudsters and are willing to invest a larger deposit," it said.
According to authorities, the scammers also steal more funds by pretending to be GST and tax to withdraw the deposit. They added that daily, such investment scams involving crores of rupees occur throughout the state.
It asked people to report instances of online fraud to the 24-hour cyber helpline at 1930 and to exercise caution when it comes to cyber scams.
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